Introduction
Taken from another website, here is an article
which should have your very serious consideration! Can
Bible-believing Christians really embrace 'multi-faith'
services?
Piers Dillon
2003
It was called the "Congress of the Cults." Over 4,000 priests,
pastors, and ministers from all denominations were assembled.
They had elected Joseph Stalin as their honorary president. One
after another went to the podium proclaiming that Christianity
and communism were fundamentally the same. They could co-exist.
They could "all get along."
A young Christian woman could bear it no longer. She looked at
her husband, a Lutheran pastor, and said, "They are spitting on
the face of Jesus. Go wash the shame off His face." Her husband
warned her, "If I speak against the communists, you will no
longer have a husband." The pastor's wife, Sabina Wurmbrand,
simply replied, "I do not wish to have a coward for a
husband."
So Pastor Richard Wurmbrand, a lone voice among the 4,000, went
to the microphone. He was well known in Romania, and everyone
believed he would go along with the assembly for the sake of
"peace." He didn't. He spoke only of loyalty to Jesus Christ. He
could not "co-exist" with any entity that opposed the Great
Commission principle.
For his simple protest, Richard paid dearly-as did countless
Christians who refused to "bow down" to the ways of
communism.
Today we face the same scenario. Jesus is being spit upon in
American churches. Christians are selling their soul for a
"peaceful co-existence" found in deceit. But who will come
forward and wipe away the shame?
I cannot take it any longer. How many of our brothers and sisters
must be beaten, tortured, burned or decapitated, before we
realize that Christians and Muslims DO NOT serve the same
God?
We love the Muslims. Many of our co-workers put aside their own
safety to reach them for Christ. We print special literature in
their languages; we produce and broadcast special programs into
the Middle East. We are willing to give our own lives to win the
soul of a single Muslim. But we will never, never align ourselves
with Islam and its militant teachings. To do so would destroy the
very witness many of our brothers and sisters are dying
for.
Across America pastors and Christian leaders are allowing
representatives of the Islamic faith to freely speak in their
pulpits. This happened at Willow Creek Community Church, the
largest church in America, where a Muslim man named Faisal
Hammouda was allowed to share the pulpit. During the interview
with Pastor Bill Hybels, Hammouda claimed: "As a matter of fact,
we, all of us ... believe in Jesus. I believe in Jesus. I believe
in Mohammed and all the prophets. So our mission here is to
introduce people to God." He also stated, "We believe in Jesus
more than you do, in fact."
But the Koran says, "0 people of the Scripture (Jews and
Christians)! Do not exceed the limits in your religion, nor say
of Allah aught but the truth. The Messiah 'Iesa (Jesus), son of
Maryarn (Mary) was (no more than) a Messenger of Allah and His
Word...." The Koran also claims that Jesus was never crucified.
Muslims do not recognize the sovereignty of Jesus Christ or His
sacrifice. They do not accept the way of the cross. So how could
this be the same God?
(Read I John 2:22-23) Faisal went on to say, "Jihad means
striving to improve oneself, striving to change conditions to
better conditions, striving against evil." Even the Chicago
Tribune noted that laughter could be heard "rolling" through the
audience as Hammouda discussed the "true" definition of a "jihad"
saying, "It even could refer to a personal holy war to overcome,
say, a desire to eat more candy.
How foolish have we allowed ourselves to become? Three Sundays
after Faisal Hammouda gave his enlightening presentation, 16 of
your brothers and sisters were gunned down in a church in
Pakistan. You may blame this on the war against terrorism, but
you would be mistaken. If it was against America, why did the
gunmen target their countrymen? If Faisal is right and Islam is
"peace-loving," why are our brothers and sisters in ALL
Islamic-controlled countries facing severe persecution?
Unfortunately, in his interview, Pastor Hybels left that question
out. This may sound harsh; it isn’t. The treatment that the
Body of Christ is facing in Islamic countries is harsh. We feel
truly sorry for Willow Creek. In an effort to "love," they left
out the truth.
There is no love in deceit. We are in danger of loving the
Muslims to hell. What will they say before Christ? Will they say,
"But we all served the same God. We even spoke in your churches.
When did we persecute you?" God forbid we trade salvation for
"safety." Could Christ have peacefully co-existed with the
religious rulers of His time? Could the apostle Paul have "just
gotten along- with the religious and political powers of his time
and avoided martyrdom?
Jesus said that if they hated Him, they will hate us.
Nevertheless, we are called to be a witness. We are not called to
figure out a way to get people to accept us.
If you love the Muslims, tell them about the Jesus they so
fervently persecute. If you love the Muslims, support those who
are willing to lay down their life to be a witness among them
(John 15:13). If you want to reach your congregation and help
"bridge the gap," invite Christians who have converted from Islam
to speak to your congregation.
The simple fact is: Muslims do not "peacefully co-exist" with
Christians. Faisal Hammouda did not speak for Islam. If he
thought he did, he was deceived. Islamic teachings offer no
tolerance for those who reject Mohammed for Christ. Read the
Koran for yourself. Study Islamic history. Learn the truth about
what is happening right now in Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan,
Indonesia, Bangladesh, Yemen, Iran, Nigeria, Tunisia, Egypt,
Tajikistan and other countries where Islam has a foothold.
Remember, less than one percent of the Muslim population in the
world lives in America.
If you study Islamic history, you will learn that Mohammed
traveled to Mecca and offered a peaceful doctrine. But it was not
accepted. In fact, he was even persecuted. So he later traveled
to Medina where his teachings took on a more hard-line militant
form. Once he gained a following, he ruled by force. Now his
teachings dominate in many nations. Islam struggles, fights, and
even kills for its faith. Once it gains power, its real face is
revealed. "Accept Allah and his prophet Mohammed, or die." This
is happening right now in Indonesia, where the largest population
of Muslims exists.
We challenge Pastor Hybels and other American pastors who believe
Islam and Christianity can peacefully co-exist to visit the
Maluku islands of Indonesia or the capital of Islam, Saudi
Arabia, where no church is allowed. We ask you to speak with your
brothers and sisters who secretly worship there. (We have.) We
invite you to learn the truth, then decide if you will join with
them in winning Muslims for Christ, or sell your soul for a
shroud of peace.
The main issue at stake is the deity of Christ, not mutual
understanding, dialog or feeling good about each other. Any
question-and-answer session or dialog where Christ is not clearly
presented as the only way (John 14:6) and as the complete Godhead
in the flesh (such as Colossians 1:15-20 and 2:8-10, and 1 John
2:22-23) is blasphemy and a shameful attack on the cross. Christ
described His way as narrow, not an "all faiths club."
The issue is about access and power, not about negotiating away
our Christianity. In Matthew 25:31-32, Jesus proclaimed this path
and power as solely His. As a result, in Matthew 26:3-4, the
chief priests and scribes consulted that they might kill
Him.
Muslims wish to neutralize Jesus for the same reasons the chief
priests and scribes did. Some Christian leaders may try to squirm
out of this conflict to maintain a politically correct, man
pleasing church. Choose this day whom you will serve. If we begin
to present a fuzzy God (such as, we all worship the same God), we
are opening the doors of hell to our people, not the door of
heaven.
We may be able to peacefully dialog with a Muslim man in America
or in another Western culture. But this is a distorted reality.
It is a partial truth at best. And when we present Islam as
another truth, we spit on the face of Christ and those who serve
His kingdom in Islamic countries.
We do not hate the Muslims. We hate deception. We do not advocate
violence. We advocate love and truth. We desire peace but will
not trade it for compromise. We will reach out to Muslims but
will not deny the sovereignty of Christ and the cross as the only
way to salvation. And we will not turn our back on our family
members who are suffering and being killed under Islam for their
faith and witness in Jesus Christ. Islam is the dominant force
trying to eradicate Jesus Christ in their nations and neutralize
Him worldwide as another "prophet." We will not prostitute the
gospel for a politically correct peace. Should any of us do
otherwise?
If you find any news articles or sermons endorsing all faiths
"serving the same God" in your community, please send this
material to us as we take a stand together for Christ. This will
help us as we try to gain a better understanding of the American
church and how it is addressing Islam. If you or your pastor
needs more information about Islam, please call our office. Thank
you for standing with our persecuted family this Christmas
season.
In Christ and for the martyrs,
Dr. Tom White
(This deeply thought-provoking article comes
from THE VOICE OF THE
MARTYRS)